Bollywood in Holland, Netherlands: One of the Most Liberal Countries in the World

In recent years, Bollywood has gained a lot of popularity in Holland. Our films are played at regular theatres, Bollywood gets a mention in several Dutch magazines, and several festivals bring in Bollywood entertainment.

And its not that only Turkish, Moroccan, Afghani and Pakistani people are interested in Bollywood films (as used to be the case earlier), even the Dutch community is developing keen interest in its glitter and glamour, and of course in Bollywood dancing.

Queen Rocks Amsterdam

There are several Asha Bhosle songs from the seventies that are still played in clubs and are quite popular with the young crowd, although the “Hungama Ho Gaya” number was not among them, till now. And the courtesy for this songs craze definitely goes to the movie ‘Queen’ (starring Kangna Ranaut).

In the movie ‘Queen’, this song was picturized in a local club in Amsterdam called NL. It was the very first time a Bollywood song was played in the club, and if sources are to be believed, the song has created a riot of sorts in Amsterdam.

After the shoot of this song, the club even hosted its first ever Bollywood party, thanks to the demand for Hindi tracks, with the DJ spinning his own version of Hungama Ho Gaya, which is now being used in the end credits of the film.

The song ‘Gujariya’ was also shot in Amsterdam (at various locations); as part of the shooting, Kangna also visited the red light district.

Bollywood Movies Shot in Netherlands

Netherlands is another beautiful country in Europe, where the evergreen song ‘Dekha ek khwab’ featuring Amitabh Bachchan & Rekha from the Yash Chopra film ‘Silsila’ was shot.

Keukenhof (Kitchen garden) is also known as the Garden of Europe, and is situated near Lisse, Netherlands, and is the world’s largest flower garden. Several hit Bollywood & other Indian songs have been shot here.

Is Holland & Netherlands the same? Holland is a region (and former province) located on the western coast of the Netherlands. Nowadays, the term ‘Holland’ is also used frequently to refer to the whole country.

Here are popular songs that have been shot here (you can’t help but notice the garden):

Dekha Ek Khawab from Silsila

Teri Chunariya from Hello Brother

Kumaari song from Aparichit (Anniyan)

Other songs that have been shot in Netherlands include Bhanwre Ne Khilaya song from Prem Rog, and Hum Apne Gham Ko from ‘The Gentleman’.

Song – Ladki Kyu Na Jane Kyo from ‘Hum Tum’ shows the Amsterdam Royal Palace (Dam Square) & Aran Pub in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Apparently, the film producers were so fond of Amsterdam that they even shot scenes there, that were earlier supposed to take place in Paris and New York’s Central Park!

Bollywood Craze in the Netherlands

Its true that more and more dutch people have started enjoying Indian films, and one of the main reasons for that is the way ‘families’ are portrayed. Despite being a very liberal country, it seems even the Dutch value ‘family values’ a lot. They also love Bollywood dancing — the movements, the expressions, the costumes. Corner shops that sell Bollywood DVDs are witnessing a steady increase in the number of ‘white Bollywood fans’.

Even our Indian celebrities have taken a note of this, and big names such as Sonu Nigam, Shreya Goshal, Atif Aslam, Kailash Kher, & Rahat Fateh Ali have all performed at least once in this country, and the scenario is only going to get better in the future.

Even Shah Rukh Khan (and co-stars) have performed here, as part of Temptation Reloaded 2008 that was held in the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam/NL.

Amsterdam’s Oosterpark looks set to transform into Little India once again in 2014 as it hosts Bollywood at the Park: a free outdoor festival presenting top films from Bollywood, India’s Hollywood counterpart, alongside activities, snacks and music. Whether trying out yoga or learning the latest Bollywood dance moves, the festival offers something for everyone.